Cat obesity: causes and ways to treat it

Has your vet told you your cat is overweight? Cat obesity is very common but still very preoccupying. It can lead to diseases and reduce your cat’s quality of life. Here is why some cats are obese and ways to treat it.

3 mains reasons your cat is overweight

High food intake

The first cause of obesity is overfeeding. Most cats are free-fed, which means a bowl of food is left for the day while we go to work. This abundance of food is pretty unnatural for our feline friends who have evolved as carnivore hunters.

Lack of exercise

Cats are independent and without the need to hunt prey, they mostly spend the day on the couch napping. Left alone as we are away for the day, they have little ways to burn all the food we left them.

Hypothyroidism

In some rare cases, hypothyroidism can slow down your cat’s metabolism and lead to a weight gain. Your veterinarian should be able to diagnose this disease and help you treat it.

Worrying consequences of cat obesity

Diabetes

Obese cats are far more prone to diabetes, an expensive and worrisome condition to treat.

Arthritis

Arthritis is caused by all the extra weight on load-bearing joints. Then your cat is stuck in a vicious cycle: because of the pain when walking or jumping, it becomes more sedentary, burns fewer calories, and gains more weight, worsening its arthritis.

Hepatic lipidosis

Also known as fatty liver disease, hepatic lipidosis is potentially fatal but can be turned around quickly by prompt diagnosis and treatment.

2 easy solutions to make you cat loose weight

Feed smaller portion more frequently

A better way to feed our cats is to give them smaller portion more frequently during the day. This is hard to achieve when no one is home during the day. We should also always adjust the amount of food we offer during the day in consequence of our cat’s physical activity.

Make your cat exercise more

It’s much easier to make dogs exercise than cats. Most cats are left alone for long periods of time and really have nothing happening in the house that would trigger a carnivorous hunter’s interest levels. If you can, getting a second cat is a very good solution. Interactive toys, like our robot MIA, make your cat work for its food and are also a good option.

MIA is a 100% automatic robot equipped with a dry-food dispenser. Through its intuitive app, you choose the time of day you want your pet to exercise and the number of times it gives food. Mia will navigate by itself through your house avoiding obstacles and and stairs. Its speed is also adjustable depending on your pet’s behavior.

Perfect for fighting cat obesity, MIA can also be used with dogs. It’s your new pet BFF.

MEET MIA, YOUR CAT NEW FRIEND

MIA is an autonomous robot that entertains your cat and even dispenses treats! MIA will increase your cat's exercise level, make its day more fun and help fight cat obesity